Device for connecting loom-harnesses with their actuating mechanism



. -(No Model.) 3 3 3 i J P KELLY. DEVICE FOR QONNBGTING LQOM HARNE'SSES WITH THEIR AGTUATING MEGHANI SM.

Nb. 2 93.334. Patented Feb. 12, 1334.

lulll ////lli v NVENTDH WIT M55555 V llNiTEn STATES PATENT Grinch.

JOHNP. KELLY, OF SAGO, MAINE.

DEVlCE FOR CONNECTING LOOM-HAFNESSES WITH THEIR ACTUATlNG MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 293,334, dated February 12, 1884,

Application filed April 2Q, 1883. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN P. KELLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Saco, in

the county of York and State of Maine, have invented certain Improvements in Devices for Connecting Loom-Harnesses with their Actuating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a loom-harness having my improved con necting devices applied thereto. Fig. 2' is a vertical section through the top shaft of the heddle-frame and one of the fasteningeyes.

Loom-harnesses have heretofore been connected with their actuating-straps by means of eyes screwed into the top and bottom shafts of the heddle-frames, to receive the hooks at the ends of the actuatingstraps. These screweyes have been necessarily inserted into the top and bottom shafts at different distances from their ends, in order to bring them into the proper positions to receive the hooks of their actuating-straps, which occupy various positions transversely across the loom, as the pulleys over which they pass do not lie in the same vertical planes. This necessitates frequent changing of the positions of the screw-eyes to suit the loom to which the harness is to be applied, which consumes much valuable time and causes expensive delays. Again,when the eyes are set at the proper distance from the ends of the shafts of the heddle-frames,which distance also varies according to the position which the harness is to occupy in the loom, suchharness for instance, a back harnessmnst always 00- cupy this same position, and cannotbe shifted or used as afront harness or in any otherposition but its own without first changingtheposition of the screw-eyes. Consequently great care must be taken in arranging the harnesses in the loom to have each one in its own proper position.

4 My invention has for its object to overcome .all' of these difficulties and to enable me to conenabling me to effect a material saving in time and labor, avoid expensive delays, and also to use any one of the harnesses in any desiredposition in the loom.

To this end my invention consists in a fastening-eye adapted to be used either asa means of connecting one end of a draft-bar provided with a series of notches or apertures for the reception of thehook of the actuating-strap with the shaft of the heddle-frame or asasubstitute for the ordinary screweye, said fastening hav: ing a flattened or elongated loop or eye, open at its lower end to allow the end of the bar to be sprung into place therein or to receive the hook of the actuating-strap, and a straight or tapering shank adapted to be driven into the shaft of the heddle-frarne until the top of the head of the shank under the eye is flush with the surface of the shaft,whereby it is prevented from projecting up and interfering with the rigband of the heddle-cords.

In the said drawings, A Arepresent the top and bottom shafts of a heddle-frame, andB the heddles stretched between the same. llnto each end of each of the shafts A are driven two spring fastening-eyes or connecting devices, (3 c ing provided with a projection, 7, at its lower end, between which and the head I) is a space or opening, d, of sufficient size to admit one end of a flat metal bar, 1), which can thus be sprung or snapped into the elongated eye or loop 0, where it is held in placebythe projection7, as shownin Fig. 2. Each of the bars D is thus held by a fastening-eye at each end in a position parallel with the shaft A and at a short distance therefrom, and can be easily removed, when desired, by pressing it so as to spring open the eyes 0, when it can be drawn out through the openings 01. The shank a, of the fastening O is driven into the shaftA at the center of its thickness until the head I) is embedded in the wood, so as to lie flush with the surface of the shaft, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, leaving it perfectly smooth and even at the center, which prevents all interference with the rig-band of the heddle-cords B, and allows it to lie in a perfectly straight line from one end of the shaft to the other, as desired. The shank a is preferably clinched upon the inner edge or surface of the shaft A, as seen in Fig. 2, after being driven into place, as described. A great advantage is thus gained by driving in the shank of the fastening-eye instead of screwing it in, as heretofore, as in the latter case the head b would project up and interfere with the rig-band of the heddle-cords.

The bars D, which may be of any suitable length, are each provided with a series of notches or open slots, e, for the reception of the hook f of the harness-actuating strap g, and as the positions of these straps vary to aconsid-erable extent, which must necessarily be the case, as their pulleys are not placed opposite each other for want of space, it will be seen that these barsafford a ready and convenient means for connecting a strap-hook with the harness at any desired distance from the end of its shaft, as one or another of the notches e is sure to lie in a proper position to receive the strap-hook.

If desired, the bars D maybe provided with apertures instead of the notches 0; but I prefer the latter, as thehooks f can be more readily caught therein.

By the employment of my invention any harness can be used in any desired position in the loom without reference to the-position of its actuating-straps, and the trouble and expense of matehingup? harnessesthatis, arranging the screw-eyes in their proper positions on the shaftsis thus entirely avoided.

Hitherto when a series of harnesses are taken from a loomfor instance, three, for threeshaded work-they are tied together and laid ceased aside until wanted again for the same description of work, the same being done for twoshaded work, or that of other shades. Consequently it becomes necessary to keep a great number of harnesses on hand. WVith my invention, however, no matching up is required, and as all theharnesses are atall timesin readiness for instant use, a much less number willbe required, and a material saving in expense and labor thus effected.

The fastening-eyes 0 may be used, if desired, without the bars D, in place of the ordinary screw-eyes.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination,with the shaft of a heddle-frame, of a fastening orconnecting device, 0, consisting of a head, I), an open spring eye or loop, 0, with a projection, 7, and having a space, d, between said projection and the head b, and a shank, (4, adapted to be driven into the shaft until the-head b lies flush with its surface, all constructed to operate substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the shaft A of a heddleframe, of the draft-bar D, provided with a series of notches or apertures, c, and the spring fastening-eyes O, constructed as described, and adapted to receive the ends of said bar and secure them to the shaft A, substantiallly as set forth.

Witness my hand this 24th day of April, A.

J OH1\ P. KELLY.

In presence of- EDWARD P. BURNHAM, M. A. O. BURNHAM. 

